Hood hinge and latch mechanism



May 12, 1942` E. T. RAGSDALE ET AL. `2,282,884

HOQD HINGE AND LATCH MECHANISM Filed May 13, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 May12, 1942. E. T. RAcssDALE ETAL HOODHINGE AND LATCH MECHANISM Filed Malay13, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 (Ittornegs May 12, 1942f E. T. RAGSDALE ET AL.2,282,884

HOCD HINGE AND LATCH MECHNISM` Filed May 1s, 1940 4 sheets-sheer 5:inventors L7.' qgsda/z: A? @ff l Gttornegs i llllllllllllllllll 2 du/amMay 12;, 1942- E. T. RAGSDALE ET Al. 2,282,884

HOOD HINGE AND LATCH MECHANISM Filed May 13, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 4Gttornegs Patented May 12, 1942 Hoon HINGE AND LATCH MEoHANrsM- f EdwardT. Ragsdale Vand Edward F. Reynolds, Flint, Mich.,` assignors to GeneralMotors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Dela- Y ApplicationMay 13, 1940, serial No. 384,742

3 Claims.

This invention relates to latches for the hood doors of the hoods ofautomotivevehicles. The hood door of the vehicle is made of one pieceand is adapted to hinge from either side. The latches at each side areduplicates, the one of the other, and by releasing the latch mechanismon one side the latch mechanism at the opposite side serves as a hingefor the hood door when the door is raised.

The novelty of the invention relates to de tails of construction of thelatch structure.

On the drawings: I Figure 1 is a side view of the hood of an automotivevehicle showing. the hood door in raised position in dotted outline. 1 YFigure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure l, showing the hooddoorin raised position in dotted outline. 1

Figure 3 is a plan `viewof the latching mechanism showing the parts inreleased position andy with the hood broken away better to show theconstruction. The handle is shown in dotted outline in the latchingposition of the parts.v

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4i-.4 through one of thelatchngmechanisms, the raised position of the hood being shown in dottedoutline; Figure 5 is a perspective View of the latching mechanism. 4Figure 6 is aside view of an alternative'form of latching mechanism withparts brokenaway better to show detailsV of construction andthe righthand latch only being shown.

Figure '7 is a section .on the line 'l-l of ure 6. Y Figure 8 is adetailed plan view of a part of theA latching mechanism;

Figures 9 and 10 are sections on the lines 8 9 and lll-I of Figure 6. YY Y Figure 11 is a view of a modification showing the application of asafety catch. f

Figure 12 is a side view of a-modied formof latch mechanism, parts beingbroken away better to show details 'of construction and the rightl handlatch only being shown. Figures 13, 14,'and 15 are sections 'on thecorresponding lines of Figure 12.

Fig-

Referringto the drawings, an automotiveve indicated at I4. The parts sofar described are I5 in general conventional and per of the invention.

The handle for operating the latch is indicated at I6. This handleprojects away from theupright part'of the fenderbut may be made a partof the usual s ide louvers of the hood as is well known in the art. y

In its raised position the hood door I is supported by the' links I8 and20, the link I8 being pivoted at 22 to the underside of the hoodand the.link 20 pivoted at 24 to the front end of the cowl orv usual dashboard26. Twosets of links Illand 20 are provided, one at each side of thehooddoor.

Referring to Figure 5,'the hood door Ill is provided around its` edgewith a lateral inturned flange 2B- and at spaced apart places at theangle between the flange v23 and the hood door I0, brackets3ll arerigidly-secured. Y

The side panels I2 at their upper edges have inturned flanges 32 anddownturned anges 34, while the edge of the vertical part of the fender 8overlaps the anges 32 and 34 and has corresponding lianges 36y andV 38so that a double thickness of ,metal is formedv at the upper edge oftheenginefcompartment. The flange A23 on thehood door isradapted vto ltover the flange 36 withjv the edge of the door coincidingwith the planeof the fenderso that a smooth contour is se form no part obtained. Thisis best shown inFigures 4 and 5. The handle IIvis pivoted b y the pin 43to brackets46 secured to thepanellz of the engine Vcornpa'rtment. Thehandle extends inwardly of the hood and has an enlarged; end 48 ,whichhas two` n secured to the ange 36, the lower inturned Il flange 58,l andthe end ilange 60 whichis secured to the inside of the panel l2.,

' Suitable ears 62 are bentvfrom the middle part of the bracket Iawayfrom the plane thereof vand are provided with; suitable openings toreceive va 50 pivotl bolt'64 which pivotally secures in place a movablebracket 66, The bracket has the lower ear 68 and the upper ear 'I0 whichare positioned on top ofthe ears 62. The ears 68 and 'Ill have openingswhichmate with the openings in the ears than@ a Pivot pin Sipassesthrough all these openings to pivot the bracket 66 on the bracket 54. Acoil spring 'I2 surrounds the pivot pin or bolt 64 between the upper ear62 and the ear 68 and provides the tension or force which holds the hooddoor down.

The upper end of the bracket 86 beyond the ear 'I8 is formed into a hook'I4 the point I6 of which is adapted to engage on the bracket 30 to holdthe hood in latched position.

The bracket 38 is provided with a rib or protuberance 'I8 at its edgeover which the point 'I6 must pass in moving lto latched position. Thisrib 'I8 will prevent any ordinary tendency of the hook end I6 to moveaway from contact with the bracket 38.

A pilot'or stud 88 is secured to the bracket 54 by the nut 55. Thispilot is tapered and somewhat rounded as is best shown in Figure 5. and

is adapted to be received in an opening formed in the bracket 38. Thisopening has the raised ange 82 therearound to give it added strength andthe pilot 80 is provided with a shoulder 84 against which the edge ofthe flange 82 is adapted to engage when the latch mechanism at theopposite side is releasedto enable the hoodV to 'Y be raised. Thecontact of theedge of the flange 82 with the shoulder 84 will limit theupward movement of the opposite hood side and will in general coincidewith the position of the links I8 and 28 as shown in the dotted lineposition atthe Each side of the hood has two mechanisms such as shown inFigure 5, and these mechanisms are at the ends of the hood door and areoperable from the common handle I6. To assure the operation of themechanisms the ends of the rods 58 and 52 have bent ends 86 which engagein openings in ears 88 formed on a small piece of metal 98 secured tothe movable bracket 66.

By moving the handle I6 from the dotted line position of Figure 3 to thefull line position, the hook ends 'I6 are swung over the rib 'I8 clearof the bracket 38. The flange 28 of the hood has a cut-out 92 to assurethat the hook end will not engage with the ange when moved to unlatchedposition. In the unlatched position, as shown in Figure 3, the hood doorI8 at this side of the vehicle may be raised, and the hook ends 'I6 atthe opposite side of the vehicle in cooperation with the studs 88fandilanges at 82 will form the hinge upon which the hood swings. The upwardmovement of the door will be limited by the straight line position ofthe links I8 and 28 and by the contact of the flange 82 with theshoulder 84. This contact of the ange 82 with the shoulder 84 is shownin dotted outline in Figure 4.

Referring to Figure 6, the second species of the invention is shown. Thehandle I6 is turnably mounted in a bushing |88 rigidly secured in theside panel I2. To the inner end of this handle there is secured thetwo-armed plate |82 in each end of .which there is an opening. One endofv ure 11. By pressing the handle I6 first inward.

and II4. These rods extend in opposite directions and have their endsformed into a loop indicated as a whole at I I6. The loop is in generalU-shaped, but at the ends of the U has the bends I8 and |28 whichproject toward each other and form a narrow neck, and in the latchedposition of the hood, as Ashown in full lines in Figure 6, the bight |22of the U is sprung apart so that the bend or protuberance |28 willtightly grip into the cup or pocket |23 formed in an angle bracket |24which is secured to the edge of the hood door and to the flange 28.

A pilot or stud |26 is secured by means of the nut |28 lto-the bracket|24 and flange 28 and projects 'into an opening in the overlappingflanges 32 and v3|; of the panel I2 and fender 8. This pilot is pointedand rounded and has the shoulder |38 which engages with the underside ofthe flange` 32 when the hood is fully raised from the opposite side. Ifdesired, the pilot I 26 may be secured 'to the anges 32 and 36 in themanner shown in Figure 5. i

Immediately beyond theendV of the -bracket |24 the flange 28 of thehoodhas the cutaway part |32 and adjacent thecut away part l|32 themating flanges 32 and 36 areprovided with a slot indicated =as a wholeat |34. The initial part |36 of the slot is straight, the intermediarypart |38 is at an angle, and the terminal part |48 is again straight, orin a plane parallel with the part |36. As the operator turns the handleI6' in the bearing |88 the plate. |82 will push the arms II2 and II4 inopposite directions to cause the loop I |6`to move from the full lineposition of Figure 6 to the dotted line position.` In this movement thebight I 22 of vthe loop will be guided by the slot |34 for the reasonthat the free end of the loop is passed through the slot. The reason forthe slot |36, |38 and |48 isV that it guides the loop away from theflange 28 and prevents the loop from falling out of the slot. In moving'from the full line position to the dotted line position the loop willbe moved out of the depression |23'and away from the flange 28 and willleave the hood. door edge on that side unlatched so that the door may beraised from that side, while the latchng mechanism at the opposite sideof the hood door will act as the hinge.

The ,end of the loop |I6 is upturned as indicated at |42 to enable theloopend easily to ride over the end of the bracket I 24 when it is movedfrom unlatched to latched position.

'Ihe mechanism at the end of the rod II4 is identical with that shownand described in Fig ures 6 to 10 inclusive.

' If desired, a strengthening plateA |44 may be secured to theoverlapping top flanges 32 and 36 of the hood side immediately below theplace of application of the bracketV |24 to the hood door. This platewill have an opening to accommodate the pilot |26.

In Figure l1 a modification of the structure of Figures 6-10 inclusiveis shown. The modication consists in making the handle I 6" shiftable aswell as turnable in its bearing |88'. A bracket |58 is secured to thepanel I2 and the overlapping edges 32 and-36 andthe bearing |08' issecured between the panel I2 and the bracket.'

A catch |52 is pivoted at`|54 to the bracket |58. The-hook en d |56 ofthe-catch is adapted to engage 'with the flange 28,0n the hood'door I8when in latched position. A spring |58 tends to hold the catch |52 infull line position shown in Fig.-

ly, the catch |52is moved from Athe full linefposition to the dottedline positionito cause 'it's'hook end |56 to become disengaged from theIiange 28 on the hood door. The handle may then be rotated to turn thebearing |88 to move the rods I I2 and II4 to operate the latchingmechanism inthe same manner as in connection with the structure ofFigure 6.

Referring to Figures 12-15 inclusive, a third species is shown. Thepanel I2 has a shoulder I 68 formed therein and on this shoulder thereare mounted the two end brackets |62 and the center bracket |64. Onlyone of the end brackets |62 is shown for the reason that the structureat theright-hand end of Figure 12 is duplicated at the other end. Inthese brackets |62, |64 a shaft |66 is turnably mounted.

Adjacent the bracket I 64 a lever |68 has one end |18 rigidly secured tothe rod |66 and the other end formed into ears |12. Between the earsthere is received the inner end |14 of a push rod |16, and a pivot pin|11 passes through the ears |12 and the end I 14 pivotally to mount theparts |68 and |16. The outer end of the operating rod |16 has a knob|18, and a rubber dome |88 surrounds the rod |16 and has one end |82secured to the fender 8 and its other end |84 inturned to catch underthe knob |18. By pressing inwardly on the knob |18 the rubber dome |88will yield and the rod |16 will be moved to operate the lever |68 toturn the shaft or rod |66.

At each end of the shaft |66, adjacent the brackets |62, an arm |86 isrigidly mounted. The free end |88 of the arm is shaped as is shown inthe plan view in Figure 14.

The side panel I2 has a recess |88 formed therein (Figure 15) and inthis recess there is received the nut |92 into which there is screwedone end of a stud |94. The stud |94 passes through a spacer |96 andthrough an opening |98 in the arm |86. 'I'he other end of the stud I 94is threaded and receives a nut and washer 288, and a coil spring 282 ispositioned between the washer and the arm |86. This spring is undercompression and constantly urges the arm to the position shown yinFigure 15, or in the latched position of the hood.

'Ihe hood door I8 has a hinge, indicated generally at 284, securedthereto immediately over the place where the arms |88` are positioned.One part 286 of the hinge is rigidly secured to the hood door and theother part 288 projects inwardly of the hood and extends over the upperedge of the fender 8 and the panel I2. The part 288 of the hinge has alug 2I8 which strikes against the hinge part 286 and prevents the hingepart 288 from moving closer to the part 286 than is shown in theposition of the parts indicated in Figure 15. The hinge parts 286 and288 are provided with small ngers 2I8 and 2 I2 and between these ngersthe coil springs 2| 4 are secured. The springs are under tension andconstantly tend to hold the parts in the position shown in Figure l5.The two hinged parts 286 and 288 are united by the pintle 2I6. y

A pilot or stud 2 I8 is secured by means of a nut 228 to the part 288 ofthe hinge. This pilot is cylindrical for a portion of its length andprojects into the bushing 222 rigidly secured to the top edge anges 32and 36 of the panel I2 and fender 8.

Through the pilot 2|8 ythere passes a bolt 224 the head 226 of which isclosely adjacent the turned over end I 88 of the arm I 86. A lock nut228f-prevents thebolt 224-from turning'when 'it isoncelihits properly?adjusted povsition..r 'l Y v InftheA latched position 0f1the"hood,asshown inFigur'e '15, the-turned over end |88 engages the head 226.Tov'facilit'ate a better engagement the v end |88 -i-'s provided with,an arcuate-cut-out 238 to receive vthe shank fof-the' bolt '224. fvTogrelease one side of the hood'vdoor I8 so that it may be raised, theoperator presses on the knob |18 which depresses therrubber dome |88 andcauses the leverV I 68 to rotatethe shaft-'|66. The rotation vof theshaft |66 will swing the arms |86 and compress the springs 282 and movethe free end |88 away from the headV 226 of the bolt 224 to release thehood on that side. The hood door may now be raised, causing the pilots2I8 to move out of their .bushings 222 and utilizing the hinge members288 and 286 at the opposite side of the Vehicle as the hinge upon whichthe hood door turns. In opening the hood the springs 2I4 at the oppositeside of the vehicle will be further tensioned but the hood will swing onthe pintles 2I6.

'Ihe species of Figures 7-11 inclusive and 12e-15 inclusive are providedwith links I8 and 28 such as shown in Figure 2.

The pilots in all of the species act to'position the door accurately onthe hood sides, that is, on the edge of the vertical part 8 of thefender.

We claim:

l. In a latch for the hood door of an automotive vehicle, a stationarypart of the vehicle on which the door rests in closed position, aninwardly directed flange at each side edge of the hood door where itrests on the stationary part of the vehicle, a plurality of bracketsspaced llongitudinally of the hood at each side thereof and inside thevehicle and mounted on said stationary part, a second plurality ofbrackets, one of each of said second brackets pivoted to one of thefirst brackets, a hook on each of the second brackets capable ofengaging the flange to hold the door in latched position, means at eachside of the hood and inside thereof and operable from outside thevehicle simultaneously to move all the pivoted brackets at one side tocause the hooks to move out of contact with the flange to enable thehood door to be raised from one side.

2. In a latching mechanism for the hood doorv of an automotive vehicle,a stationary part of the vehicle on which the door rests in closedposition, an inwardly directed ange at each side edge of the hood doorwhere it rests on the stationary part of the vehicle, four bracketsmounted in spaced relation inside the vehicle on the sides of saidstationary part, two brackets being mounted at each side, a bracketpivoted to each of the rst mentioned brackets, a hook on each one of thepivoted brackets, said hooks capable of engaging the ange to hold thedoor in latched position and in lcooperation with the ange acting as ahinge,loperating means inside the hood and operable from the outsidethereof simultaneously to move the two pivoted brackets on one side tocause the hooks to move out of contact with the flange to enable thehood door to be raised, the hooks of the pivoted brackets and the flangeat the other hood side acting as a hinge.

3. In a latch for the hood door of an automotive vehicle, a stationarypart of the vehicle on which the door rests in closed position, aninwardly directed ilange at each side edge of the hood door where itrests on the stationary part of the vehicle, brackets .mountedinteriorly'of the hood on the side of said` stationary part at bothsides of the hood, movable brackets Ypivoted to the first brackets, ahook on each movable bracket capable of engaging the flanges to hold thedoor in latched position, operating means inside the hood at both sidesthereof to move the pivoted brackets to cause the hooks to move intoContact with the anges to latch the hood door or out of contacttherewith to enable the hood door to be raised either at one side or atboth sides, means outside the vehicle to operate said operating means,"pilots mounted in said stationary part at the edges of the hood door,the anges of said door having openings to receive the pilots, saidpilots and openings causing the door to seat accurately to enable theengagement between the hooks and the hood flanges, and means onthepilots engageable by the door to limit the extent of movement of thedoor when raisedon one side only.

EDWARD T. RiLiGsDALE. EDWARD E. REYNOLDS.

